Environmentalism is an ethical worldview as much as a scientific approach to life. Like any moral philosophy, it can be extremely difficult to enlighten those you believe are wrong without offending them. When an individual or group accuses you of personal wrongdoing, recoil is the simplest natural reaction. Environmentalists know this well, as do ethical vegetarians, those who donate to charities or volunteer with non-profit organizations, and members of the Peace Corps. If someone aggressively or condescendingly tells you that your way of life is harmful, immoral, idiotic, ignorant, unintelligent, or reckless, you are likely to be offended and not heed their advice. Few of those who truly take the time to evaluate the benefits of green living and compare them to the current alternative would say that our current lifestyle is worth continuing. However, verbally attacking people is not the answer. It is no surprise that people like David Orr have difficulty reaching new audiences when he resorts to calling people “retarded chimpanzees” (2002, p. 55). David Orr's message in The Nature of Design: Ecology, Culture and Human Intention (2002) is not something I would personally disagree with, but his attitude within the book is poisonous to its own cause. Before I explain why Orr's presentation is useless to the larger ecological community, I feel the need to state that I personally find no flaw in his ideas. During my freshman year of high school I chose to take environmental science instead of the regular physical science course. That course started me on the path of environmental thinking, although I must admit that my practice does not always coincide with my theory. My personal goals include... middle of paper... ver. David Orr's attitude is poisonous and pervasive. It is easy for those who agree with him to sit back and nod gratifyingly as he rises above the uneducated and uneducated masses, but those masses are exactly the people we are trying to reach. How can I, as a teacher, support a presentation style that offends my students and distances them from a healthy, sustainable, mutual vision of the world? I couldn't call myself an effective teacher if my presentation only closed my students' minds, not opened them. Any teacher can tell you that in any field, including ecology, the content means nothing without an effective and respectful mode of presentation and this is exactly what is missing from Orr.Works CitedOrr, D. (2002). The nature of design: ecology, culture and human intention. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.